French renaissance within the classic car world

Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

A 1922 Type C3S Strasbourg is among 16 exceptionally rare and valuable Voisin models owned by car collector Peter Mullin that are featured in an exhibit at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard through April.

A 1922 Type C3S Strasbourg is among 16 exceptionally rare and valuable Voisin models owned by car collector Peter Mullin that are featured in an exhibit at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard through April. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Once relegated to the scrap heap of automotive history, the Voisin brand has undergone a renaissance. The cars are worth millions today. They were the creation of Gabriel Voisin, a colorful yet fastidious French architect and engineer who made a fortune selling airplanes during World War I.